There, I wanted to let you taste the great thrill of the brogue made in England ! 🇬🇧
The shoe that you are about to discover, I had ambitions for it: it had to be tireless, comfortable in many situations and become more and more beautiful over time.
To those who have never felt this special emotion when putting on a pair of "real" English shoes for the first time, this mixture of robustness and elegance which shines through once the pair is put on, I want you to be able to feel it with these brogues.
This pair is made by Barker, an English manufacturer that I really like and whose visit Nicolò talked about at length here . They are the ones who made our first pair of boots released in December .
I'll show you the atmosphere right now...
I'll give you a quick video presentation of our brogues right here:
The special charm of the brogue
The great thrill of the English shoe I tell you!
Legend has it that the holes on the front of the brogues allowed water to escape in case the wearer accidentally stepped into a puddle of bog, but I don't think so...
What is true is that basically, the brogue was a shoe with a very "country" connotation, in a gentleman farmer style.
But today, it is accepted in all professional contexts, unless you work for strict tailors in the upper echelons of finance in the City (yes, that's a lot of conditions).
Personally, it's a type of shoe that I got into late, even though it's super practical.
As much as I hate wearing dress shoes like brogues with jeans or chinos, the "English" brogue goes very well with more casual pants.
And obviously, with wool pants or a suit, the combo is perfect.
This is how these brogues should be worn. A beautiful knit (to come), some stunning Ferla pants, and that’s it! (complete BonneGueule outfit)
On the usefulness of a good old Dainite sole
This photo reminds me of the very beautiful memories of our visit to Barker . Even though machines are involved at many points in manufacturing, I was surprised to see how much dexterity is required to use them correctly?
For a shoe to wear all year round, I absolutely wanted a Dainite sole (like on our boot).
Very common among English brands, the Dainite sole makes this brogue resistant and perfectly suited to cold seasons, because it insulates the foot from an icy sidewalk.
A very resistant sole that will last several years without problem.
Unlike a leather sole, you will not be worried about walking on gravel or cobblestones, as it is a very durable sole, especially in wet weather.
Little anecdote: the design of this sole is made in such a way that small gravel and other dirt cannot get stuck there, unlike a sole with more marked “commando” type crampons.
It's stupid, but if you ever step in an unidentified organic substance, cleaning it will be really easy: a jet of water with good pressure on the sole, and that's it.
Before you have to replace a Dainite sole, you really have some margin, it's extremely durable, like much more than a leather sole.
Don't be afraid of cold floors, this shoe is made for it.
I also had fun looking for testimonials and photos on the lifespan of a Dainite sole, and imagine that I didn't find much. At most, a few people describing ten years of wear before changing their sole...
You will find all the experience of a century-old English workshop in this shoe.
This is what I want with this brogue: robustness of English manufacturing + Dainite sole = shoe that will last you for many years (+ leather that will become more and more beautiful over time)
Ah, and if you doubt the elegance of a Dainite sole, know that they are systematically found on the various Crockett & Jones of James Bond, including in his most dressed outfits.
With fitted chinos, brogues add a lot of elegance to an outfit.
French aniline leather from Annonay
A rather rare image among shoe brands: a very close-up of the quality of our leather, which has a very fine grain.
The leather is the same as that of our first boots, it comes from the French Annonay tannery, except that it is darker here.
For the more technical among you, it's aniline leather , therefore with an extremely discreet protective layer, which will patina beautifully.
This is Barker's shoe "blueprint", which shows each piece of leather needed to make the brogue.
A Goodyear “storm welt” type assembly
Regarding the assembly, it is Goodyear called "storm welt", where the welt goes up slightly on the upper. This makes it possible to reinforce the tightness of the assembly (we are still using English shoes!).
Again, if you want to know more about the manufacturing process, read Nicolò's very detailed and comprehensive rendition .
When the welt seam goes all the way around the shoe, including at the heel, it is a block heel.
An image that shoe brands rarely show: this is what the “attached wall” of the shoe looks like, which is a bit like the skeleton of the shoe.
And in terms of comfort?
The Dainite sole also offers “softer” cushioning than a leather sole, and makes it very comfortable on uneven floors.
As for the shape of the shoe, it's exactly the same as our previous boots, you won't be out of place.
It is a round shape for a comfortable line. And for once, the word “timeless” would never have been so appropriate to designate the line of this shoe.
With this very resistant Dainite sole, these rounded lines outside of all trends and this French leather intended to develop a patina over time, I really wanted to offer you a durable shoe. And secretly, I even hope that one day, you will be able to give it to your son and tell him "this was one of my first pairs of beautiful shoes".
Because I would say to myself that Barker's legacy has been fully respected.
See you soon on the other side,
Benedict
